Outsider Agent: The Extraordinary Adventures of an Immigrant and Mystic in the FBI

by Anthony Arismendi, Larry Cano

Overview

Anthony Arismendi moved to the United States from Venezuela as a teenager in the mid-seventies with the dream of becoming a US citizen and an FBI agent—despite the fact that he couldn't speak a word of English. Transplanted from the dangerous streets of Caracas, Arismendi's unconventional thinking and out-of-the-box approach to life landed him in plenty of comical, often precarious situations. Still, he adapted his survival skills to a new culture, one harrowing day at a time, overcoming homelessness, prejudice, and poverty to achieve the impossible. Profoundly inspirational, Arismendi's unique blend of hard work, perseverance, and mysticism in the face of relentless adversity reminds us that our reservoirs of courage and determination run far deeper than we know—and that we should never give up on our dreams, no matter how out of reach they might seem.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544527031
Publisher:	Houndstooth Press
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	290
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Anthony Arismendi is a former FBI agent with a highly decorated and distinguished career spanning two decades of undercover operations against drug cartels, gangs, organized crime, violent criminals, and terrorist organizations. He has served as a member of the FBI's SWAT team, as a supervisory agent in two field offices and FBI Headquarters, and as a unit chief in the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. Today, he is the President and CEO of ARIXMAR and a sought-after public speaker, sharing his compelling and motivating story with public and private organizations across the country.

Larry Cano is an entrepreneur, writer, and UCLA film school alum, best known for his role as executive producer of the Oscar-nominated movie Silkwood starring Meryl Streep, Cher, and Kurt Russell.

Editorial Reviews

2022-09-07
Debut author and veteran FBI operative Arismendi, with Cano, chronicles his Venezuelan boyhood and his career in American law enforcement.

The author’s story begins in the summer of 1991, as he, a rookie FBI agent, responded to a bank robbery in progress in Scottsdale, Arizona, in which a heavily armed, hostage-taking perpetrator stated that he was “prepared to die.” But before revealing how that situation turned out, Arismendi embarks on an account of his life before he became an agent, beginning with his early years in Caracas, Venezuela, which included an excursion to his great-great-great grandfather’s burial statue at “Paseo de Los Proceres—Walkway of the Founders.”(Gen. Juan Bautista Arismendi was Simón Bolívar’s chief of staff.) There, the author and his older brother, Eduardo, learned to honor the family legacy: “The same blood that ran through his veins,” their father told them, “is running through yours.” Arismendi received a well-rounded education at an excellent Catholic school and also learned lessons on the violent city streets; he eventually became a karate master under the tutelage of Shoko Sato, an international martial arts champion. Along the way, he pursued his interests in philosophy and spirituality. Although the book’s use of third-person point of view makes the memoir feel distant at times, it tells a credible and engaging story of one man’s pursuit of success. Arismendi shares a poignant lesson with readers, taught to him by his karate instructor, that would serve him throughout his life: “Always fight to win.” The book effectively shows how Arismendi later drew on such insights to survive poverty and homelessness after immigrating to the United States and, ultimately, to make it all the way to working for the FBI. His memoir offers readers clear lessons, as well, by revealing how integrity, initiative, mentorship, and hard work contributed to the author’s many accomplishments.

An empowering work about drawing on inner strength to overcome life’s difficulties.

Kirkus Reviews